Talk:BreakTheInternet/@comment-3284502-20170313055346
Repeat after me, Hollywood: Psychopath and sociopath are no longer real diagnoses. It's called Antisocial Personality Disorder. Psychopath and sociopath are common parlance. And even when they were real: A psychopath was biologically predisposed to it, had no clinical empathy, and was very good at hiding it. A sociopath was created by environmental factors, had a little clinical empathy, was terrible at hiding it, and often had violently angry outbursts. Clinical empathy means they cannot feel other's emotions in a sort of echo. It does not mean that they are incapable of liking others or wanting them to be happy. That said, their lack of regard for other's safety, rights, and their inability to feel remorse often makes it seem like that's the case. Dissociative Identity Disorder does not always include missing memories. That is indicative of a full split, when many are integrated or semi-integrated. Integration means working together more or less towards a common goal, sharing memories, and communicating between alters. Not getting rid of an alter. Many folks with DID neither know nor care to know which alter is the original. They simply consider themselves units of one whole entity. Alters are not 'one all good, one all bad'. They are like other individuals with their own skills, talents, likes, dislikes, etc. Not very many people are entirely evil. Depression and anxiety and any other mental disorder is not solved by sex or relationships. Therapy is not evil or buzz killing. There are many kinds of medication and many people require lots of trial and error before selecting the most appropriate one for them. "Zombie like" is never the goal and one should seek an adjustment or new medication from their doctor. Taking someone's meds from them is a terrible idea and a red flag for abuse. Electroconvulsive therapy is actually very effective for severe depression, when done properly, with an anesthetic and very mild shocks to induce brief, minor seizures that will affect brain chemistry and reduce symptoms. High shocks or no anesthetic is a sign of either incompetence or abuse - which is the point of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, that they were doing it wrong on purpose to punish and coerce patients they considered unruly. Speaking of - while many facilities are still abusive (i.e. unnecessary restraint, solitary, excessive force etc.), mental health facilities are generally safe and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest's continued teaching in schools has actually done more harm than good to psychiatry as a whole. Lobotomies were quickly and almost completely abandoned after the 1950s and 60s due to the onset and rise of antipsychotic medication. Medication is not evil. Therapy is like a crutch - you need it to heal properly and reduce damage to yourself or others. Nurses are not all Nurse Ratched. Seriously, enough with the evil hospitals already. Subtypes exist and they matter to diagnosis and treatment. Involuntary committment is generally only accepted by hospitals if the person is at risk to themselves or others due to severe conditions, and due to overcrowding, patients are rarely kept past that stage - not going to get yourself killed? Not going to commit murder? Great, get out and follow your follow up plan. Mental disorders are not fucking jokes or quirkyness. They deserve real attention and validity. I'd say they deserve the same respect given to physical disabilities or medical conditions but you never write those well either - they're either pity fuel, superpowers, fetishized, or demonized. You need to do better on that too. Good sources: DSM, ICD, MCMI. Bad sources: Ghost stories on the internet. Demonizing the mental health sector is only making it harder to seek necessary help for many people. Abusers are actually rarely mentally ill. Mental illness gets chucked about as an excuse, but it's often simply not true. They are often not mentally ill - they're just incredible assholes. Saying 'you don't need help' is fucking dangerous. Therapists and medications are GOOD THINGS. Media depictions of abusive facilities need to be more responsible and researched. You are, in fact, an idiot sandwich.